Summer is coming a little slowly this year to Reflection Lakes Trail. The trail starts out with patches of snow, and the higher you climb, the harder it is to find the trail. We hiked as high as Plot 8, and all of the MeadoWatch sites were covered in snow. As of June 28th, we have placed none of the plot markers because all plots are still covered by snow! If you do decide to brave the snow, the creek crossing right after Plot 2 is covered with a snow bridge. It is relatively safe for now, but watch out as melting conditions will make it deteriorate. However, things appear to be melting quickly. Based on Meera’s intuition, we expect many of the plots to melt out and things to start to grow in the next couple of weeks. As of now though, finding the trail is difficult and we relied heavily on our GPS to keep us on track. For those of you uncomfortable hiking over snow, we suggest you wait a few weeks to enjoy this hike.

Outside of the plots, especially at lower elevations, Avalanche Lily is abundant. This early season bloomer can be seen right off the trail and in some cases, peeking through the snow. Sitka Valerian is also starting to come up, with vegetation at the sides of the trail. If you are lucky, you may also see some wildlife (see picture below)!​This week’s blog was written by two Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program interns, Jose Esparza and Bailey Hussung. This summer we are working with the Hille Ris Lambers lab and conducting our own conservation related projects.

Jose is working to increase the diversity of the MeadoWatch citizen science program in order to create a more inclusive community of volunteers. Hopefully in the coming weeks, if you catch him around, please feel free to introduce yourself. He will be trying to get in contact with some of you through surveys and some questions. Your help will be most appreciated. >:} Bailey is studying the characteristics of the insect community as they relate to the habitat type and elevation of the meadows. If you see someone with a bug net and vials full of insects, come say hello!

The hiking season is nearly upon us (the hike calendar opens tomorrow, June 30th)! Our Glacier Basin hike is always our first hike to melt out (the east side of the park gets about half of the snow that the south side gets), and this year is no exception. As of June 21, about half of this 3 mile hike was snow free, and hikers willing to travel over snow can reach the end of the hike. Tall Bluebell was already budding at our lower elevation plots as of a week ago (and may be flowering by now!), so there is plenty of data to collect!

A few notes about the Glacier Basin hike:

The MeadoWatch data collection box has been placed at Glacier Basin! it is ready to receive your data.

Plots 1, 2 (see picture below), 3, 4, 5, and 8 have trail markers out as of June 21st. We will mark more of the plots next week (Thursday, July 6th), but it may take a while for us to get them all marked...

A stream between plots 2 and 3 is briefly part of the trail – be prepared for wet socks! It should become easily passable in late summer as snowmelt amounts go down.

An avalanche occurred right before plot 8! It has been cleared and is passable.

We will be out next week to place more trail markers, and hope to see you on the trails!

Plot 2 with the trail marker out (see bottom right), and a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier.

Thanks to those of you who have attended orientation already. 2 down and 1 to go! We are happy to be able to offer you free camping at the Longmire Volunteer Campground and White River Campground, thanks to the wonderful Mt. Rainier Volunteer Outreach Staff.

Here are some notes about requesting camping and some questions you might have. If you find they are not answered here, please feel free to email us!

​All the best,Your MeadoWatch Team

Where can I camp? The park offers volunteers free camping at Longmire Volunteer Campground and White River Campground (with overflow camping from White River at Ohanapecosh Campground). As you are volunteering with MeadoWatch, you qualify for these camping options. We cannot offer free camping at any backcountry sights (please see this link for backcountry camping information).

How long can I stay? Through volunteering at Mt. Rainier National Park with MeadoWatch, the park offers volunteers up to two nights at a time per day of volunteering. For example, if you plan to hike on July 13th, you could camp the night of July 12th and 13th and leave July 14th. You may plan your camping dates around your MeadoWatch hike as you see fit, and may opt to only camp for one night.

How early should I put in my camping request? Please give at least two weeks advance notice of the dates you would like to camp! We cannot guarantee that you will have a campsite reserved if you do not provide us with this time (we require this as we have to send your requests to the park volunteer staff, who will place your reservations).

How do I place my camping request? Please provide us with the following information, kindly in the following format:Name: Your nameEmail: A good email to contact you atWhere: Which campgroundWhen: The nights you will be staying (e.g. July 12th and 13th would indicated that you will be arriving on July 12th, staying the nights of July 12th and 13th , and departing on July 14th.)Number of people: How many will be staying with you? If it is just you, please indicate this.Number of tents/size of RV: How many tents are you bringing? How big is your RV? Note that there are size restrictions and limited maneuverability, so please call the park if you have further questions. This will help the park volunteer staff select the appropriate campsite. Again, if it is only one tent, please indicate this.

Can I camp with a friend/fellow volunteer? Yes! Please indicate this in the number of people and tents when putting in your request. The park is able to offer sites that will accommodate multiple tents and people, groups up to 3-4 is optimal. In the spirit of volunteering, we require all your member to participate in the data collection (remember to include their names on the data sheet).

Will I receive a confirmation of my request? We will do our very best to let you know that we have sent your camping request. When your reservation request has been put in by the park volunteer staff, you should receive a confirmation email back from them (however, this may not always be the case). Kindly, keep in mind that communication between the park and MeadoWatch can take some time due to internet connections (ahh technology, both a convenience and frustration). If you have concerns about your reservation request, please contact us at mwatch@uw.edu.

Can I change my camping request? Yes! Please send us an email as soon as you know about any changes to your original camping request, including cancelations. Send an email with the subject line: “DATE Camping Request Change” (please write in the appropriate date of your camping reservation in the subject line where the example says ‘DATE’). Again, if you need to reschedule for an earlier date, please note the two week advance notice disclaimer.